Ruby Mage

by Dan Raxor

  I’d gained five pounds of winter weight… Okay, more like ten, but I’d been very into my studies and chicken filet was so damn yummy.

  Nothing a good long walk wouldn’t fix.

  There were two options for exploring in my mind. Go toward the dragons or head away from where I saw them. I picked away because dragons casting magic was more than I wanted to deal with, and if I lived here, I’d do the same.

  Feeling I was heading the opposite direction from where they battled, I started what was hopefully a short journey through the spooky woods of endless white aspens. Every few trees I’d smack a hole in a knee high spot, hoping I could create a path to find later.

  The sun was to my left, and I’d left early in the morning. Just like on Earth the sun rose to the east and set in the west, or so Joseph theorized in his book. He admitted a compass never made the transition.

  The days were the same length and besides seasonal differences the planets were synced. He hypothesized this is how they were connected. Two planetary bodies in unison at different points of the universe that were twins. Like planets born together. As in they were alive.

  While that was clearly crazy nonsense, so were dragons and using gems to cast fireballs.

  After two or three hours following the sounds of a river, I found my first reprieve from the monotony of the forest. After what felt like an endless march, seeing millions of trees finally change made me feel so small and Lornia seem so vast.

  The snap of a twig caused a doe to bolt from its drinking spot on the other side of the river. There was something mesmerizing about watching a fleeing animal.

  The tranquil setting was ruined when my stomach rumbled, causing me to smirk. I was not about to torch a deer for lunch no matter how much my insides complained.

  Finding a decent rock to perch on, I decided now was a good time to eat a snack. After a few swigs of my camelback - that had been converted from a bladder of some animal - I chomped on a stick of jerky.

  Everything plastic from Earth had changed to fit this environment.

  We hypothesized this was to prevent someone from bringing a machine gun to a sword fight. Where swords could go to Earth, and fey too, modern weapons and plastic were transformed. Which had Ming and I debating an age old question. Did monsters roam in hidden parts of Earth already?

  Yes, I believed there were hidden fey forested away in parts of the Amazon. The only proof I had was that the big ass bear-kin stayed a bear-kin when he was brought to Earth.

  The doe never returned, disappointing my hopes to watch nature while I relaxed.

  My calves were a bit sore, and my ankles felt swollen since the soles of my boots were thinner. The extra thick robe that had been tossed over my shoulder earlier into the walk was stuffed into the bag.

  Finishing my break I left the rock.

  I followed the river downstream with a hop, skip, and a jump. I figured following the water would lead to something. Humans had to drink and this river was fairly clear looking. The river picked up speed as the terrain sloped downward.

  An hour later, off in the far distance I saw the first signs of life. A column of smoke rose into the air.

  Finally. I was starting to think I’d end up going home empty handed.

  I no longer marked trees, and increased my pace while following the river. I had to admit, I was getting kind of bored talking to myself.

  About halfway to the smoke stack I started to see signs of life, well, sort of.

  There was a skeletal body of a child with horns, or a short fey. It was old, with nothing else near the bones.

  I frowned, knowing that in Lornia when you murdered there were no forensic police to hound you. You slit a throat, dumping a body into a ditch without a worry. Later, hoping you were never tied to the murder, you pretended nothing ever happened, and that was assuming anyone cared about the missing person.

  I had to push such thoughts into the back of my mind.

  Another half hour of walking beside the river revealed a human teenager, no older than fourteen, fishing with a stick. Almost a man in medieval times, telling me to tread with caution on treating him like a child.

  “Young Sir,” I said, startling him. “I come from a faraway land by magic.”

  “Ya what now?” the lad asked, inspecting me hesitantly.

  “I’m a mage from a distant place, transported here by magic,” I said loudly with clear enunciation.

  His features twisted in confusion. “Like Primodat? What tier of mage are ya?”

  “We don’t have tiers in Pangea, there are only those with or without magic,” I lied.

  Letting the magic trickle into me from the gem around my neck I channeled the appropriate feelings.

  This time, I was more focused on the fire itself than the fiery emotions. It seemed that unlocking the connection with the magic was tough, refining the process to wield the magic was simpler.

  I lined my palm up, blasting out a ball of fire. The condensed magic swirled as it flew for the river’s surface, exploding upon impact. A gush of water went high, creating a misting cloud of steam.

  “Impressive my lord. I take it ya’d be needin’ a guide?” the lad asked.

  His eyes squinted slightly, revealing a human concept I was all too familiar with.

  Greed.

  “I've been in these woods before, slaying fey. I know the value of my coins here… However, I’m in a generous mood. I’ll make you an offer. A silver for being a guide for a day. Far more than you’re worth,” I said with a flick of my wrist.

  “A whole silver, ya got yerself a deal sorcerer. I’m Beck,” he said with a bow.

  “Beck, I’m Master Trevor, Mage Trevor, or Lord Trevor. Take your pick,” I said, staring at him down my nose.

  My tone was haughty, getting my superiority across. Beck didn’t need any additional convincing though. He retrieved a stringer with three tiny fish after hauling his line out of the water.

  We didn’t talk much on the walk to the town. Probably because I declined three offers to buy his tiny fish he caught.

  That little shit didn’t care that I flat out said I was not interested. He kept hinting that I’d love the taste, and no fish were finer. He then rambled on about the blacksmith’s daughter was first in line to marry him because he was the head fisherman’s eldest.

  When I saw a wooden wall protecting maybe a hundred buildings, I was unimpressed. There had to be less than a thousand people living here. Then again, I could only see through the opening the gate created. Maybe untold wonders rested inside the nasty smelling town.

  This wooden gathering of buildings was not exactly where I needed to be to acquire fine items, a workforce to build a castle, or just about flipping anything.

  “Welcome to Riverten, Master Trevor,” Beck said, with us stepping onto a rough road of loose small stones.

  Outside the gate hung two corpses covered in flies and feasting birds pecking at the flesh. I felt like hurling but held it in. The cute sparrows I saw earlier suddenly were viewed in a much different way.

  “Bandits, caught trying ta rob a trader’s wagon. ‘Best ta jest die, than ta steal’ Pa says,” Beck snickered, passing near the rightmost corpse.

  I stuck to the middle of the road, finding the smell overwhelming. I forced my bile down, choosing to focus on the interior buildings. We passed the threshold that held no guards or soldiers to watch who came in and out.

  “I need a map, a horse, and a proper servant. One at least my age,” I said confidently.

  He sneered at this. “I’m no servant.”

  “In Pangea, all men unwed are servants, I meant no transgression. The sooner I’m done, the sooner you get your coin,” I said, having to fight my stomach against wanting to eject its contents.

  “Yer sure da speak like a fancy prissum,” Beck said between clenched teeth.

  I was forced to make a tough choice here. He insulted me. Even if the meaning of prissum escaped me, the connotation was clear.

 
I could immolate him, claiming his burning corpse was being sacrificed to some fake Pangea god. This would probably incite all sorts of drama I’d rather avoid, so I threw that option out.

  “Half a silver,” I said loudly with a grimace, coming to a halt. I pulled power into my palm, controlling a small flame. I held the flame high so others could see my power. “And you’ll apologize for insulting me.”

  An older man came running over. “No flames in Riverten, my Lord,” he pleaded with hands up, getting between Beck and I. “Beck get back to fishin’ this instant.”

  The older man held enough sway over the young lad to send him scampering out of the town.

  “I apologize, Torgrin at your service.” He bowed, giving me a chance to notice the local garb didn’t have holes. He wore a plain brown tunic with tan baggy pants. His feet were in mud caked leather and he wore no noticeable weapon. “I’m a village official, part of the peace keepers that handle the minor disputes of the great Riverten. What can I help ya with?”

  I thanked him for diffusing the situation before telling him my needs. I was short with a crisp tone. Even if I was playacting as a superior, I truly did hate repeating myself.

  “Right this way, Master Trevor,” Torgrin said, heading deeper into Riverten.

  We passed human shit on the side of the road. After a further inspection I noticed puddles of feces were everywhere, plastered across the mix of stone and mud. I wanted to vomit again, nearly doing so when a small flock of chickens rushed for a tossed pail off to my right.

  There’s a blasted river three hundred feet away! Dump your literal shit downstream!

  The town not only smelled like an outhouse, but it looked like one. There were a few decent homes with hitching porches. So it wasn’t all horrid, with the few owners taking pride in their homes. I even saw a porch growing flowers.

  Then there were some hovels straight up abandoned and collapsed, most of the homes slash square buildings were dilapidated and in some awful state.

  Riverten was about what I expected of Lornia based on my readings: backwards, filthy, and deplorable.

  “Horses are not common out here. We mostly ferry aspen wood to Clruss where it becomes fine white furniture. We’ve got a single set of spare oxen though, and a wagon to throw in. Won’t last long, those are in short supply around here. As for the map, the local magistrate should have that by the servant’s market.”

  “How about fine weapons?” I asked.

  He mused this question over. “Maybe George, yeah. I think George found some elven blade recently. Outside of that we’ve got standard iron forged here. Leeny is the local smith. We keep him busy crafting the needs of Riverten more than doing spare arms though. No need for extra weapons really.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “We're in the southeastern corner of Lornia. If yer out here it's for the aspen trees or to go hunting. If yer huntin’ then you came prepared,” Torgrin said nonchalantly. “Frontier folk already have weapons for defending themselves. Standard really.”

  I bit my lip in frustration. This place sucked.

  “What’s nearby?” I asked, trying to shoo a stray dog away that sniffled my robe.

  “Next closest city is Clruss, seven days hard ride, an easier ride is ten. Crimm is that-a-way. Trimi to the northwest. Northeast of that is Branfield.” He pointed the opposite way to my arrival point. “Two weeks or three slow. Bandits and fey on both routes. Not that yer concerned by them.”

  “So, I’m on the far outskirts of humanity?” I asked with a long sigh.

  “For Lornia, yes. King Partel issued a proclamation to all the larger cities. Start sending the hard to sell servants to the frontiers for cheap. Which is good for buying cheap labor, certainly helps our bottom line when we buy workers at these rates. Just got a wagon load today,” Torgrin mentioned pleasantly.

  We finally transitioned from the hovels to an open fairgrounds of sorts. There were staged oxen on the left, hiding behind them were short wagons. In the middle, was a big show field, and towards the back exterior wall rested a hanging station that doubled as a stage.

  “Cheap servants!” a crier yelled to a small gathering crowd.

  There was a wagon with thin bars kept tight together to keep prisoners from escaping through. Humans in collars and a few fey were being hauled out to stand on a stage.

  “Perfect timing Master Trevor. A gold coin and I’ll fetch yer map,” Torgrin said, causing me to laugh.

  I was starting to have a love hate relationship with the people of Riverten. I hated them and would love to burn this shithole to a crisp. I smiled, suppressing that inkling of my darker nature.

  “I’ll give ya two silver if it’s detailed. If not a single silver,” I replied, guessing I was being swindled.

  “Three and they cost two, yer paying me half a silver and the other half will go to Beck so he doesn’t get killed by ya when he becomes resentful,” Torgrin said, having a good counter offer.

  Maybe he was redeemable. I fished out a purse from the interior of my robes. There were a dozen small sacks sewn into my attire. Each one held certain coins in small amounts. I pulled out a single silver, pressing it into his palm.

  He spied the coin with interest. “Unmarked, heavier than normal. Wait… is this pure?” I nodded. “Let me get this tested by Lenny and then the map. You still owe me two more when I return. Happy bidding,” Torgrin said, leaving my side.

  There was a squish as I stepped in feces, this time it was oxen shit. Hurray. I approached the stage not sure how this process worked.

  I was the only one well-dressed man at the front. The rest were rugged men that would have fit in at any bar in Montana. They were muscly, bearded, and stout with sour faces. The wives waited in a group, chatting off to the side while the men waited to start bidding.

  “Bidding starts soon!” the crier yelled between cusped hands against his mouth.

  Walking up to the auctioneer who was waiting for his help to set the stage, I went into my purse, retrieving a gold coin. The thin middle aged man with heavy bags under his eyes glared at me speculatively.

  “I’m Master Trevor, a mage of Pangea. I wish to bid,” I said, handing him a gold coin.

  “Name’s Henry, my Lord. Is this a bribe? Or do ya wish to buy before bidding, or you showin’ your intent to bid?”

  Hmm…

  “I’d love to have first pick. What’s the bids go to here?”

  He sighed. “Not much. Never a gold. Honestly, my cousin Ruffin accepted a bribe and was hung when the king’s men found out.”

  “Then don’t take a bribe,” I said with a happy shrug. “Dying seems ill advised.”

  Henry loved my dry humor, cackling out a long laugh. After wiping his eyes he said, “I can give you prices the crown is wanting before a bid. These folks in Riverten isn’t ever affording those costs.”

  “So you have a flat fee that these men avoid?” I asked and he nodded. “Perfect. Maybe you have a fearsome woman who can stab people for me?”

  “Master Trevor, I’ve got just the one,” Henry said in a perfect salesman’s tone with a smirk.

  CHAPTER 10

  Lornia - Riverten

  Local date - Unknown

  “Pull like that again and I’ll snap you in half,” a woman about half a head shorter than me said.

  Her dirt patched skin was riddled with scars and curves, and her torso devoid of a full shirt. She was modesty protected by a thin piece of cloth tied across her substantial breasts and my, oh my, finally my prayers had been answered.

  Her eyes flicked from the tiny catman tugging on her collar to inspect me. I stared into her dark eyes that spoke of violence. Matted brown hair was bound into a small ponytail that only made it halfway to her shoulders.

  While she was obviously fit, she was lean as if she were unfed. Ribs showed more than they should, with her trousers revealing pelvis indents that pointed to her crotch.

  She didn’t wear shoes, but her legs looked like she was a runne
r. Calloused hands tugged on the chain that the half-cat fey fought her with.

  “Enough,” Henry demanded, halting the two from their minor tug battle.

  A few of the potential bidders were heading over. “Hey, we wanted to bid on her too.”

  When I saw the rest of the auction servants, I understood why. They were almost all women, mostly rail thin, and none were as potentially gorgeous as this Amazonian babe. She must have really pissed someone off. Also, she was reasonably healthly and able to work right now, meaning to a lumber collecting town she was valuable and likely rare.

  “Enough to pay full buying price?” Henry shot back.

  One of them nodded. I had almost sixty gold coins stitched into my bag and robes. Guess I’d be giving up most of them. Each coin was a quarter ounce and ditching the heavy gold would actually be nice.

  Henry grumbled. He pointed at his helper, swinging his finger to the stage. “Fine stick her on the stage. We open with the best, since she is going over her costs,” Henry said.

  “What did she do?” I asked with furled brows.

  My hands went to my hips not liking how the woman was dragged by a chain onto the stage.

  Henry sighed, grumbling under his breath. “I’m starting to think you actually are an agent by testing me so. This disgusting backwater will be the end of me.”

  My urge to sass him was held in check. He went to the front of the caravan. His hand propped open a box so he could sort through paperwork.

  “Hmm, she shouldn’t be here.” Documents came out. Henry fumed as he read. “Susanna was supposed to go to Clruss. Bloody hell,” Henry muttered, tilting his head back with eyes closed. “Felix got me again. I swear to the Penta gods, one day I’ll throttle that weasel.”

  “And her… transgressions?” I asked since he had the paper out.

  “Disobeying direct commands from her superior when she had a stint as a guard. Five times. Was lashed five -”

  Hearing what I needed I spun to the hulking brute on the stage. “Hey! You! What’d you disobey?” I shouted.

  She shook her head in shame.

  Hmm… Did I want to tie myself to a woman who disobeyed orders?